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As a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals (1922-1932), Cincinnati Reds (1933-1935) and St. Louis Browns (1936-1937), Jim Bottomley was noted for his upbeat demeanor and ability to drive in runs. He had over 100 RBIs in each season from 1924 to 1929. Bottomley's best season came in 1928, when he hit .325 with 31 home runs and 136 RBIs. That year, he won the National League Most Valuable Player award and led the Cardinals to the World Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees. He was the second player in baseball history to hit 20 or more doubles, triples and home runs in one season and the first of two players (Lou Gehrig being the other) to collect 150 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in a career. He is the only player to achieve both. "Sunny Jim" Bottomley was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals World Championship teams of 1926 and 1931, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
This is a Jim Bottomley game-used professional model baseball bat manufactured by the Hillerich & Bradsby Company. It is a signature model with Bottomley's name stamped in script on the barrel as he had an endorsement contract with the company at the time of manufacture. This bat has what is commonly referred to as 1936-40 era labeling, however this bat is specific to 1936. A review of Jim Bottemley's personal Hillerich & Bradsby factory shipping records documents one order of this model (H.S. Cuyler 6-4-24) bat shipped to Bottomley on 7/24/36 matching the dimensions (36 inches / 35 ounces) of this bat. This bat measures 36 inches in length and currently weighs approximately 33.25 ounces. The length of this bat, 36 inches, represented a departure from Bottomley's normal orders of 35 inch bats, and Bottomley returned four of the bats to H & B a week later for being "too long." A second order of this model bat with these dimensions was shipped to Bottomley on 9/3/38 in Syracuse (International League.) This bat exhibits a significant number of game use characteristics, including heavy ball marks, stitch marks, cleat marks, and a small, non-displaced handle crack approximately 16 inches from the knob along the grain that is difficult to see. This bat is hand-turned and has a small mounting hole in the knob (see below.)
This bat was originally sourced from the estate of Mr. Stan Wrobel, a 1940's and 1950's baseball scout (St. Louis Browns) who later owned a restaurant in Chicago called the Major League Inn where much of his memorabilia was displayed. He also served as president of a Baseball Old Timers Association.
This bat has been authenticated by MEARS on 12/7/2007 (cert. # 307787) and received a grade of A8. At the time of authentication, provenance regarding the source of the bat was not submitted. With that provenance, this bat may be eligible for a resubmission for a higher grade.
This represents a rare opportunity to obtain a hard-to-find game used bat from 1928 Most Valuable Player, two-time St. Louis Cardinal World Champion, and Hall of Fame member Jim Bottomley, one of the more difficult bats for Hall of Fame collectors to add to their collection.View Lot Detail page
This is a Jim Bottomley game-used professional model baseball bat manufactured by the Hillerich & Bradsby Company. It is a signature model with Bottomley's name stamped in script on the barrel as he had an endorsement contract with the company at the time of manufacture. This bat has what is commonly referred to as 1936-40 era labeling, however this bat is specific to 1936. A review of Jim Bottemley's personal Hillerich & Bradsby factory shipping records documents one order of this model (H.S. Cuyler 6-4-24) bat shipped to Bottomley on 7/24/36 matching the dimensions (36 inches / 35 ounces) of this bat. This bat measures 36 inches in length and currently weighs approximately 33.25 ounces. The length of this bat, 36 inches, represented a departure from Bottomley's normal orders of 35 inch bats, and Bottomley returned four of the bats to H & B a week later for being "too long." A second order of this model bat with these dimensions was shipped to Bottomley on 9/3/38 in Syracuse (International League.) This bat exhibits a significant number of game use characteristics, including heavy ball marks, stitch marks, cleat marks, and a small, non-displaced handle crack approximately 16 inches from the knob along the grain that is difficult to see. This bat is hand-turned and has a small mounting hole in the knob (see below.)
This bat was originally sourced from the estate of Mr. Stan Wrobel, a 1940's and 1950's baseball scout (St. Louis Browns) who later owned a restaurant in Chicago called the Major League Inn where much of his memorabilia was displayed. He also served as president of a Baseball Old Timers Association.
This bat has been authenticated by MEARS on 12/7/2007 (cert. # 307787) and received a grade of A8. At the time of authentication, provenance regarding the source of the bat was not submitted. With that provenance, this bat may be eligible for a resubmission for a higher grade.
This represents a rare opportunity to obtain a hard-to-find game used bat from 1928 Most Valuable Player, two-time St. Louis Cardinal World Champion, and Hall of Fame member Jim Bottomley, one of the more difficult bats for Hall of Fame collectors to add to their collection.View Lot Detail page